In a recent report, Leicester Mercury has offered an update on Liverpool‘s pursuit of Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans this summer. It is understood that the Reds would have to pay £70m-plus to land the Belgian midfield ace in this off-season (via Leicester Mercury).
Tielemans’ Incredible Campaign At The King Power Stadium
The 24-year-old has experienced a sensational campaign with the Foxes after making himself one of the first names in Brendan Rodgers’ teamsheet. His incredible contributions helped Leicester win the FA Cup and secure a fifth-place finish in the Premier League this season.
Tielemans has played in 51 matches for the East Midlands this term, netting nine goals and grabbing six assists across multiple competitions. The Belgian international deserves a lot of credit for positively impacting the game at both ends of the field as he averaged 2.3 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 1.3 shots, 1.3 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in this Premier League campaign. He has even distributed the ball relatively well, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 81.7% in league football (stats via whoscored).
The Foxes star has already established himself as a solid two-way player in the Premier League, so his £70m-plus price tag is justified considering that he still has two years remaining on his Leicester contract.
Should The Reds Move In For Tielemans This Summer?
Tielemans is a moderately-paced midfielder who can make some promising runs with the ball in the opponent’s half. He can strike the ball purely and with a lot of power which he proved with his match-winning goal in the FA Cup final against Chelsea last month.
The 38-time Belgian international has a wide range of passes in his locker and is a composed presence when in possession of the ball. He can also disrupt the opposition’s flow in the game by getting stuck in with a few crunching tackles in midfield.
Jurgen Klopp can benefit from adding Tielemans to his midfield department as he ticks all the right boxes in terms of what the Liverpool manager demands from his midfielders. However, paying a £70m-plus fee for him doesn’t make sense as the Reds already have enough depth in their squad.
If Klopp can find a way to raise some funds through the sales of players such as Naby Keita and Divock Origi, he could have the resources to bring Tielemans to Anfield during this summer transfer period. At 24, the Belgian’s best years are yet to come, so Liverpool should consider moving in for him before the start of the new season.
